AfriGeneas Genealogy and History Forum

In the AfriGeneas SPOTLIGHT: David E. Paterson

The August 2006 AfriGeneas Spotlight shines brightly on David E. Paterson.

Our AfriGeneas Slave Research Forum manager was born in Scotland, UK, grew up in Seattle, WA, and earned a BA in History from University of Oregon before joining the U.S. Navy in 1975. Although an avid reader as a child, David confessed that he became so busy with his seagoing career that he did not read a complete book for fifteen years. His passion for history reawakened in 1988 while he explored the antebellum records in the basement of the Upson County courthouse. Now Davidís idea of fun and relaxation is reading a book or spending 12-hour days researching at the National Archives.

In addition to the many hours he spends moderating the Slave Research Forum he has contributed generously to the development of an AfriGeneas-sponsored slave database.